A traditional paradigm for storing digital content involves storing content locally on the electronic device; however, as the user builds a collection of content items and storing it locally, the amount of free storage decreases. A content management system can also be used to synchronize content items between electronic devices; however, frequent synchronization can involve limited or nonexistent access, can drain computing resources, consume network bandwidth, and can involve a financial obligation when data transfer is charged as a commodity. Similarly, storing a large collection of content in a content management system rather than locally to avoid local storage limitations does not adequately address the problems associated with limited or nonexistent access, the consumption resources, or data rates.
Therefore, what is needed are techniques for reliably giving users quick access to content items that are important to them without draining computer resources.